Marriage law amendments to be tabled in parliament

PETALING JAYA: Unilateral conversion of children to Islam and interfaith marital disputes will soon be a thing of the past as legal amendments to close loopholes will be tabled in the coming Parliament sitting.
In a statement today, the Home Ministry said amendments to Law Reform (Marriage and Divorce) Act are expected to be able to solve disputes involving couples married under civil law, one of whom later converted to Islam.
"The amendments are expected to provide the best solution in issues of conversion by one within a civil law marriage which resulted in complications for both parties," the statement read.
The Ministry said the amendments will be based on three principles as outlined by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak during a recent speech.
These include ensuring custody rights and nafkah payments for children until tertiary level education are safeguarded and guaranteed.
Najib yesterday announced that the law will be amended to put a stop to unilateral conversion cases which often results in tussles by the spouses or former spouses involving both the civil and Syariah courts.
He cited the 7-year long custody battle between Indira Gandhi and her ex-husband Muhammad Riduan Abdullah, who left with their then 11-month old daughter Prasana Diksa in 2009.
Najib said the civil courts will take precedence over the Syariah courts if the marriage is consummated under civil law once the amendments take effect.